Ashes was a great post-apocalyptic/zomMe before reading this book = :D :D Yaaay!

Me after reading this book = O_O

**ARC Courtesy of Netgalley

3.5/5 stars

Ashes was a great post-apocalyptic/zombie novel. The first half of the book we’re introduced to Alex, Ellie and Tom. Alex suffers from a brain tumor and wanted to escape to the woods for the weekend when the EMP hits—which kills you, does absolutely nothing to you, gives you heightened senses, or leaves you as a flesh-and-gut-eating zombie. I have to say the first half of the book with these characters was heart-pounding, non-stop action. I couldn’t turn the page quick enough.

The second half of this book is a different story.

Throughout the first half I was mentally saying, Yes! Yes! FINALLY another strong female heroine. But guess what? She makes stupid decisions in the second half. I was beginning to think the brain tumor returned and was impairing her judgment. Oh, and by the way… (view spoiler)[Does anyone else think she should’ve used the damn Glock on those crazy people that took Ellie away? (hide spoiler)] I was more perturbed with Alex during the last 200 pages. She kept telling herself (in the narrative) that she was going to find a way out of Rule (the new town she lives in), and that she’d cozy up to these people so they’d trust her and let her leave to find Ellie and Tom. Then she dons a second love interest and there’s a totally new cast of characters; so many, in fact, I was confused as to all the new name drops.

Had this book stayed continuous with the first part, I wouldn’t have hesitated on rating it five stars. Due to the switch up, though, and the fact that Alex never bothered with finding Tom and Ellie (and pretty much forgot about them!), I had to think twice about what I’d rate this. Overall, the book is well-written, with cliffhanger chapters and crazy amounts of action. Also, the ending had me hyperventilating. I hope there isn’t too long of a wait for the next in the series. ...more

...I thought this was pretty boring. I found myself skipping through most of the narrative becauFangirls of Julie Kagawa will hate me for this, but...

...I thought this was pretty boring. I found myself skipping through most of the narrative because there was pages and pages of it, and when there was dialogue, it was short-lived. This is in no way bashing Ms. Kagawa or her writing, because both are awesome. But, seriously, this was me:

I was way too excited to read this book. I don’t know, I feel like there will never be enough zombie books in this world. And while the first half ofI was way too excited to read this book. I don’t know, I feel like there will never be enough zombie books in this world. And while the first half of the book was fun and exciting, the latter half took a nosedive into Snoozeville.

During a school trip, Bobby and the class troublemaker, Smitty, stay behind on the bus while everyone else makes a pit stop at a local eatery/shop. Everything seems normal, until people begin running out of the restaurant and are followed by a drooling, half-dead army. Little does Bobby, and the rest of the gang, know that this is the first of many problems in their quest to find help.

Like I said, the first half of the book was jam-packed with action and zombies, and the latter half involves the kids battling a different villain in a castle, only to have the zombies show up again in the last five pages. What I liked most about this book, though, was the hilarious banter between Bobby and the others. A novel about zombies has the potential to be really dark and discouraging, but the witty comebacks and wry one-liners gave me a few chuckles.

Overall, if you’re looking for a zombie story that will make you laugh, then I recommend picking up this book.

Three mini stories in one! I haven't played the game, but the illustrations were pretty badass. Love the creepy vibe and the heart-wrenching stories.Three mini stories in one! I haven't played the game, but the illustrations were pretty badass. Love the creepy vibe and the heart-wrenching stories. Made it feel very real.

I always hate giving a bad review. Ninety-eight percent of the time, if I don’t like a book, I won’t finish it. But this one was short, seemed like anI always hate giving a bad review. Ninety-eight percent of the time, if I don’t like a book, I won’t finish it. But this one was short, seemed like an easy read, and I wanted to know how it all ended (although, I should’ve just skipped ahead to find out). Plus, I love zombies.

Following the death of their father, sisters Meredith and Heather barely speak to each other. Heather blames herself, since she was driving the night of the wreck, and Meredith can’t seem to reach out to her sister like she used to. Everything changes when the new guy, Adrien, arrives. All the girls swoon over him, except Meredith; she knows something about him is off. And she has every right to trust her gut. Between witnessing Adrien burying a suitcase in his backyard, and finding a businessman’s shoe underneath the front porch, Meredith believes there’s something else going on. So, when Heather suddenly becomes Adrien’s fiancée, Meredith decides to intervene. Will Adrien destroy anyone who stands in his way of being with Heather, or will Meredith send Adrien back to the grave?

I wanted to connect with at least one of these characters, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I feel like I barely touched the surface of this story. Everything seemed so flat, and the constant switch between several different points of view was jarring.

A couple of things bothered me while reading this, too: nobody stopped and questioned why Adrien never took off his sunglasses (he had maggots, worms, etc. crawling in and out of his empty sockets). I think this might be due to his supernatural “influence” mumbo jumbo, where everyone is under his spell, but still, it annoyed me.

Another part that was never fully explained was Meredith’s immunity to Adrien’s charms. Why was she the exception? And why did she constantly get whiffs of her father’s Old Spice cologne/deodorant? Was this the author’s way of saying her father was protecting her? If so, why didn’t he protect Heather, too?

As an aside, I’m sure a lot of readers will find the content slightly graphic, with plenty of blood and gore, but it didn’t bother me at all. So, if you do buy this, you’ve been warned.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book, unless you want a mindless read. If you enjoy zombies, or the paranormal, then this might be the book for you. Sadly, it wasn’t for me....more